Cambridge rower given medical aid as Oxford lose Boat Race

As Cambridge finished the race, Edge slumped backwards and medics rushed towards the boat when it came to a halt.

Pictures show Edge being helped from the boat by medical staff following a gusty effort to secure the 169th edition of the Boat Race.

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Speaking on the BBC, presenter Clare Balding said: "Matt Edge being attended to.

"The stroke of Cambridge just utterly spent. He had just reached his limit so for the last four minutes his blade was hardly going in the water. You can see them there helping him out of the boat."

British rower Imogen Grant gave, described the rower's battle to the finish line as "scary to see".

She said: “That was scary stuff to see, just so spent going over the line. They said, ‘loose, sit up, breathe’.

“Everybody said Oxford was the favourite, but Rob Baker has done a fantastic job with crews. I don’t think I’ve seen a winning crew look that spent at the finish line.”

Cambridge extended their dominant run in the Boat Race with victory in both the men’s and women’s showdowns.

The men claimed a fifth trophy in six years, while the women cruised to a seventh straight triumph.

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Crews were blessed with sunny conditions, with temperatures reaching the mid-teens and just a light breeze blowing ahead of launch time for the women’s race at 2.46pm.

Those pleasant conditions were in contrast to the news earlier this week that high levels of E. coli, which can cause a range of serious infections and other side-effects, had been found along the championship course.

All crews were issued safety guidance on a range of preventative measures, from covering up scrapes with waterproof plasters to ensuring rowers avoided swallowing any water that splashed up from the Thames.

Oxford won both coin tosses but opted for different starting points, with the women choosing Middlesex on the Fulham/Chiswick side of the course and the men beginning their quest at Surrey station on the Putney/Barnes side.

Both dark blue Oxford boats were seen as favourites for the 78th women’s and 169th men’s races.

The latter, umpired by Matthew Pinsent – himself a two-time Boat Race champion with Oxford – saw Cambridge take an early lead before Oxford quickly drew level as the four-time Olympic champion dished out early warnings as the boats drew close.

Cambridge took a narrow lead, which saw them ahead by half a length and 1.52 seconds at Hammersmith Bridge, but settled into a smooth rhythm that left Oxford even further behind.

Oxford, with just one returning crew member from last year’s loss, had fallen behind by more than 10 seconds by the time the crews reached the Chiswick steps, but it was not completely smooth sailing for the eventual victors.